Missing You
by BowtiesAreFabulous
Summary: River brings Rory back to the Doctor because he needs to tell him something. No plot, just fluff. Mostly oneshot. Chapters later if requested.


A scene of snow followed a dark winters night into the early hours, barely seconds after twilight hit the sky. A tall figure was leaning against an even taller object, a box, far enough away from all civilization in a field in the north of England so that he may think.

His hair was a mop, speckled with the flakes whose temperatures have no effect on him. He grimly looked up at the quickly-fading stars, and wondered if he could visit this night, again and again, until the day he was to die.

He didn't know whether she can hear him now, but he gentle apologized once again to his new friend, the one who had saved him by going back in his time stream. He wouldn't be in this place now, had it not been for Clara Oswald.

He'd had so many followers, companions, ordinary folk who could live in houses with insurance and _doors_, and they were almost all gone. When he traveled to the future, he knew they were long dead, and when he went to past, he regretted that they couldn't be there with him.

The tall, beanpole man ran a hand over his bowtie, admiring it with the smallest of chuckles. Ridiculous as it sounded, the bowtie represented how he had treated each companion. It was always there, yet so underappreciated. Just as he seemed to view them, the individuals who would put their lives in his thousand-year-old hands without a second guess.

"I miss you all," he sighed, a cloud of pure cold following his words. He shut his eyes and regretted so many parts of his life, and thought he could hear a murmur from beside him.

"I missed you, too, Doctor."

The youthful eyes snapped open to see a shorter, blond man, one he knew well, in a leather jacket and pyjama pants standing with him in the cold.

The Doctor was almost never surprised. He had experienced things the Time Lords could only dream of, he knew more about each and every universe than perhaps their Creator himself.

But no words came to mind, other than the short fellows name and a feeling of being light-headed.

"Rory," he whispered.

"**Rory****!**" the Time Lord yelled this time, throwing his arms around his old comrade and holding him close. Rory Williams. The one who came back.

Rory wrapped his arms around the old sod, pleasantly excited to be here with him, despite the freezing cold.

At last, the two men pulled away, facing one another. "Is Amy here?" The Doctor's questions had begun. "How did you get here? How was life fifty years ago? Did you come just to see me?"

The blond shook his head with a grin, unsure of where to start.

"Amy's not here, Doctor. It's just me. And... River came for us. For me." His eyes turned to the quickly brightening horizon.

As his brow furrowed, the Doctor quickly tried to recall what it was humans did when another seemed upset or distraught, but to no avail. "Something's worrying you," he simply pointed out, feeling rather embarrassed of himself.

The past companion forced a shaky laugh. "Doctor... I travelled nearly 100 years to talk to you... And now I can barely put it into words."

They stood in a comfortable silence for a moment after that. The Doctor had the strangest urge to run, just as he always did when trouble came up. Whether it was something that hurt him alone or an entire planet, his first instinct was always... _"__run__"_. But he couldn't, not now.

"Doctor. I... I don't love Amy."

Another pause, another silence. The Time Lord simply stood, confused and slightly shocked. He had been to their wedding. He was apparently sleeping with their daughter in the future. He has seen them leap off of a building for one another.

"Rory, don't -"

"I.. I mean it!" The nervous man stammered, looking more like a boy right now than ever before. His palms were sweaty and his lips seemed dry, and he looked as though he were tearing up.

"Doctor." Rory looked almost angry now, and the alien finally remembered: humans craved an embrace for comfort. How could he forget, after hugging "Mr. Pond" only a moment ago?

"Rory. Rory, please don't cry. Why did you... marry Amelia if you didn't love her?"

There came no answer.

Then, leaning back against the TARDIS, the old man from Gallifrey simply heard, "It's you, Doctor. It's always been you."

"Rory?"

He was lashing out with his words now, filled with regret that he couldn't love Amy the way he loved her Raggedy Man. "You're a madman, and you take people away and you make them fall for you! You're not even human. The only trace of _humanity_ you show is when you save yet another planet, Doctor!"

The voice drew to a whisper; the words were starting to strain against his throat as an angry sob built up. "I didn't want to love you. You're dangerous."

It was quiet again.

"I don't know what to say... I'm sorry for hurting you, Mr. Williams."

Rory turned to face the pink, early sunlight now. Piece by piece, he was collecting himself, but one word from the man beside him could easily collapse him once again.

"I'm happy I met you, Rory."

Ignoring the confession, the centurion only told him, "I missed you a lot."

"And you know I missed you too."

With a scoff came, "You missed _us_. Us together. Me and Amy. When we crossed your mind, it was us together."

"Yes, but..." he trailed off. He couldn't think of anything else.

The air felt tense and the slightest bit awkward, now, but the Doctor simply moved closer to Rory. Something in his brain yelled at him to stop moving, to simply freeze, but his hearts urged him on, to comfort the grieving man.

"I'll say it then. I travelled forward in bloody time to say it, may as well say it now. I love you, Doctor."

A hand grabbed his own, a 4-beat pulse running through it as he turned in surprise.

The old Time Lord said nothing, but breathed the slightest bit heavier as his face drew nearer to that of the fearful nurse.

He pushed his lips gently against Rory's, and it felt like nothing he'd experienced before. The Doctor wrapped his strong arms around him, and it felt as though they couldn't be close enough. They were warm on this cold winter's dawn, and neither could catch a single thought racing through their mind.

The taller man pulled back, so softly, and adjusted his bowtie with the slightest of smiles.

Rory looked dumbfounded, though very smiley, and as he was about to say something, the Doctor shushed him.

"Rory Williams," he murmured. "Travel the stars with me."


End file.
